Watching The Detectives Ch. 14

---- This is my first and only venture into courtroom writing. It's a very specific setting and tone we all recognize from so many novels and films. Oddly, that does not make it easier. I love tropes and cliches, they are fun, and court scenes are filled with them. You must also be real, covering all the facts, evidence, and every angle so as not to leave a loose end that unravels your work. I pained over this, then wrote two chapters of Raymond's trial. I did not care to drag it on but also wanted to give the proceedings proper coverage. ----

--- CHAPTER FOURTEEN - MEDIA CIRCUS ---

It was chaos at the courthouse. All local print and broadcast media were present as well as small-town newspapers. A half dozen radio stations and all three television networks jockeyed for position on the wide marble steps. ABC, NBC, and CBS positioned their cameras on the sidewalk, aimed up at their reporters who stood on the second or third step.

Hands cupped over ears helped the on-air suits hear their colleagues in nearby trucks. The police had cordoned off a section of sidewalk to permit entry for the soon-to-be arriving players in Pittsburgh's biggest drama. Considerably more than a hundred curious onlookers awaited the stars of the show.

Scott Panzek spoke to a cop he knew and crossed the police line. He stood waiting for Kat's car. Immediately after him, Janice appeared. They shared a glance and stood side by side. The first to arrive was the defendant.

Months before the trial Raymond was prepared to fire Russell Stanton after he left K&S but his lawyer wisely joined another firm to shore up the defense. Raymond, Russell, his new partner Edward Reynolds, and their legal aide climbed out of a car and bolted as swiftly as they could through the gauntlet. Flashbulbs reflected off the heavy leaden sky. Microphones were thrust in their faces forcing the defense team to push through arms. Two dozen questions were shouted at once each reporter trying to be heard over their rivals.

Not a word was spoken as they fought their way up the marble steps of justice. When they cleared the last step, they practically ran into the courthouse. Just as the din of the circus was dying down a black Cadillac pulled up. A man got out of the passenger side and opened the rear door. Kat emerged and stood tall facing the mob, bulbs flashing, men yelling, and the police trying to hold the line to permit the wife of the defendant passage.

Kat didn't bolt for the stairs. She walked gracefully sporting a form-fitting pale green dress and heels that matched the eyes behind her dark Jackie Onasis sunglasses. Kat allowed the photographers their shot but ignored the questions. She'd done this countless times as an attorney. She knew how to play the press. Scott and Janice joined her.

Janice smiled at Kat. "I love your ensemble."

Kat returned the smile without a reply and took Scott's arm. The three old friends walked up the stairs as a lightning storm of flashes brought spots to their eyes. Reporters shouted at once but it was all white noise to Kat. No one forced a microphone in her face as they did her husband. The throng respectfully parted as she ascended the stairs. At the top, she stopped and briefly turned to overlook the scene.

'Maybe this will be the best shot.' A faint smile pursed her lips.

When she entered the courtroom silence fell. Every set of eyes landed on her. Katherine Price Landry was always a head-turner.

"Jesus Christ, Kat," Scott half-whispered. "You'd think you were the one on trial the way everyone's behaving."

"I am on trial, Scott, in the court of public opinion, thanks to that asshole Bob Pitka."

Janice leaned in. "Should we sit behind your husband?"

Kat snickered. "It's not a wedding but I suppose that would be wise, for appearances."

They took seats a few rows behind the defense, directly behind, so she wouldn't have to look at her husband's face.

.

.

--- PRE-TRIAL ---

Kat had arrived in town the morning, the day before the trail. She had lunch with Mom. For security reasons, she chose to stay at the William Penn Hotel. She sat in her room on the 18th floor to read Jack Mitchell's column in The Gazette.

If Raymond Landry committed this murder he's the dumbest smart man in town. The gentleman had everything, a successful business, important friends, a fabulous home, a beautiful wife, and respect in the community. Landry accusing his wife of setting him up has this reporter believing an insanity plea might be appropriate. The facts don't support his claim. His public outbursts and ramblings have only hurt his defense. Every legal expert believes the prosecution's case is weak. Had Raymond Landry kept his mouth shut and had his wife by his side during his trial, he'd have a good chance at beating the charges. On the eve of his trial, I put the odds at even money.

An hour and a half before reading that piece Kat had been followed to the Penn by a reporter. He cornered her in the lobby. Hotel security was on alert due to her presence. They swooped in to remove the intruder. Kat put a hand up to stop them.

"He's okay. I know Richard." She looked at the reporter from the Pittsburgh Tribune. "One question, no more."

"Do you believe your husband's defense will be successful and do you hope for that outcome?"

Kat smiled. "Nice work sneaking a follow-up into your one question." She took a deep breath. "I'm not sure what the defense strategy is. If it's blaming me Ray's in trouble. If it's attacking the prosecution's case they have a good chance. The case against my husband is thin. I don't believe Raymond killed William Barnes. I hope this trial bears that out."

Kat glanced at the hotel security goons who then briskly showed Richard the door.

That evening she walked into The Speakeasy to enjoy a quiet dinner. Conversations stopped and heads turned. If there were a piano player he would have quieted his keys. When Kat noticed the bartender was the same man who had served her months ago, during her charade, she informed the hostess she'd dine at the bar. She knew that was a risky move as bar conversations involving booze can go awry. As she bellied up to the bar, Glen smiled.

"You have been a hot topic this week," he said. "Vodka gimlet?"

"No. I think I'll have a martini and a menu," she smiled. "I'm dining with you tonight."

"Great. I get to talk shit about your dumbass husband."

Kat exhaled, glancing at the seven patrons at the bar. Kat was on the end where the others could see her facing ninety degrees. All fourteen eyes were on her. None spoke. Between her and them was the waitress station where staff placed drink orders for the dining room, with stainless steel containers of cherries, lemon, lime, and other cocktail garnishes. It was a convenient buffer. When Glen returned with her martini he leaned close, over the bar.

"They had three staff meetings last week," he whispered. "One for front desk and concierge staff, one for housekeeping, and one for bar and waitstaff. This week they brought in additional security. Did you see the guy on your floor by the elevator?"

"I did."

"He's to check that everyone getting off on your floor belongs there."

"What's his name?" Kat asked.

"Jeremy is the night guy with the shaved head. Devin is the day watch."

"I appreciate the extra effort."

"When I read that your lunches here were part of the game you were playing with the private dicks I was giddy. I felt like I was part of the story."

"You were," Kat smiled. "I sat her to be sure I was seen and had an alibi."

"I know, and that was cool until the police started questioning me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I had nothing to say except you were here for two hours and left but those cops were assholes trying to find dirt on you."

"Who were they?"

Glen walked a few paces, opened a drawer, and fished around inside. He pulled two cards out and handed them to Kat."

"Baker and O'Neill," she nodded. "Yeah. They don't like me."

"It seemed so. They came back and asked the same questions as if I was a suspected accomplice."

"You were an unwitting accomplice in my charade, but not a crime."

"I have to get back to your admirers," Glen motioned to the eyes gazing at Kat. "Let me know when you're ready to order, and enjoy your stay."

Before Kat called it a night Glen informed her that The Penn told every employee that regardless of where their sympathies lie, any disturbance involving Kat Landry would be dealt with harshly, termination of employment.

As she exited the elevator on eighteen she stopped three paces into the hall. "Good evening, Jeremy."

"Good evening, Ma'am."

"I want to thank you for the extra security."

"It's my job, Ma'am." He gestured down the hall at the stairwell door. "No one gets on this floor without me seeing them."

"Thank you, I feel like a celebrity with all this attention."

"You are, Ma'am."

"I didn't ask for this."

"I know. It's your husband's doing."

"And I made it worse."

"If you say so, Maam."

"Call me Kat."

"Yes, Maam."

.

.

--- SHADOW OF DOUBT ---

When the courtroom stood for the honorable Joseph Symanski, Scott Panzek leaned in and whispered to Kat. "Symanski likes you. Is this good or bad for Raymond?"

"I have no idea," said Kat. "Mr. Kramer put me on every case we had before him. He knew old Joe had a crush on me."

"I know," said Scott. "I'd never seen a judge compliment an attorney's attire. It was bizarre."

"He liked my hair too." She smiled. "He was professional about it, more or less."

"It was less," Scott smiled back. "Old Joe is kinda creepy."

In opening arguments, the prosecution ran down the list of Raymond's words and misdeeds that led to him being the only suspect in the death of Officer William Barnes. Nothing new was revealed.

The defense pointed at the lack of physical evidence, no murder weapon, and no witnesses linking Raymond to the murder. Kat saw that as promising. Then Russell mentioned her and the shadow of doubt her actions had created. Kat's heart sank.

The prosecution first called the two detectives who witnessed Raymond threaten Barnes. Art Casey also testified about the fistfight and his work tailing Kat. He repeated what he told Kat at Lehigh University, that Raymond had a screw loose. The gallery laughed. The defense objected.

"The witness is not qualified to make a mental health evaluation of our client."

The DA called Landry's neighbor, Mrs. Hanlan, to the stand to testify about the arguments and violence next door. The seventy-one-year-old woman was not kind to Raymond and expressed pity for his battered wife.

Next up was Ray's secretary. Kat felt terrible for Rhonda. She was called to the stand to make one point for the prosecution.

"Mrs. Mallory, did your boss ask to borrow your Volvo at any time?"

"Yes."

"Was his car in the shop? Why did he need your car, for what purpose?"

"He was following his wife and didn't want to be seen."

The prosecution's strategy of establishing the fact that Raymond Landry was a paranoid, jealous husband prone to violence was a slam dunk. Kat also hated that Gloria was put on the stand.

"Miss Marsland. You've stated that you were worried about your best friend's safety at home, could you elaborate?"

Glo cleared her throat. "I had witnessed Raymond stalking Kat when we went out together. He was always keeping tabs. I also witnessed two violent incidents he had with men he believed were hitting on Kat."

"We have the police report from the Blackrock Cafe. You were present?"

"Yes, I was. The other incident was at Cafe Modeno. We went on a double date and he didn't like the way the waiter looked at Kat."

"What did Mr. Landry do?"

"He made a scene. Ray stood up, yelled at the waiter and shoved him. He fell into the adjacent table. It was very embarrassing. I haven't dined out with them as a couple since."

"Did you also witness arguments between him and Mrs. Landry?"

Glo described two especially disturbing fights Kat and Raymond had when he accused her of dressing like a tramp looking to attract the attention of men. She explained how he could not have been more wrong. Kat never flirted with other men, even when approached.

"The thing is, she never dressed like a tramp. Kat dresses tastefully. He used the fact that she's gorgeous against her."

On cross-examination, the defense asked Glo one question. "Have you ever witnessed Raymond Landry strike his wife?"

"No, but we know he did."

"That's not what I asked. You didn't witness any violence."

"No, but there's a police report."

Glo's contempt for Raymond was obvious during her time on the stand. She chose to look at the jury rather than the attorneys when answering questions. It was a tactic Kat had told her about years ago when she coached witnesses on connecting with jurors.

After Raymond's character and mental stability were put into question they went after his past, providing a police report from Ithaca, New York.

"I object, your honor." Russell Stanton interrupted. "This incident has nothing to do with the case against my client."

Jameson disagreed. "Your honor. We're attempting to establish a pattern in Mr. Landry's life. His default response to adversity is violence."

"I'll allow it."

Kat leaned in towards Scott. "Did you provide this information?"

"Of course not. They dug that up on their own."

The prosecution provided documents from Raymond's past. First was the police report from his college days in Ithaca. He hit a local man with a pool cue for insulting his date. The second was a military report of a beating he gave a man on Midway Island during his time in the Navy. He put that seaman in the infirmary. The third document was a police report from San Francisco where he started a bar fight over a navy nurse he was shacked up with. The final was the most damning. It was the police report from New Jersey where he beat the man he suspected of sleeping with his first wife.

"Then we have this report," Jameson held it high, "of his fight with William Barnes after he suspected Barnes of sleeping with his current wife. Finally, we have the reports for the incident where the defendant injured his wife in an act of violence, including a punch in the face." He glanced at the jury. "That punch occurred while Mrs Landry was on the floor after he slapped her. He then knocked her unconscious."

Jameson walked over to the defense table. "It's clear. When faced with any slight, embarrassment or perceived disrespect, Raymond Landry responds ruthlessly with violence. This is especially true when women are involved."

Raymond glared at the prosecutor, his neck vein bulged, and his face turned pink. It was the same face every victim had seen before he beat them, or in Billy's case... before he beat up Raymond.

"The prosecution calls to the stand, Mrs. Sandra Morrison."

Unknown to Kat, her husband's ex-wife had remarried and was called to take the stand as the final witness against his character. Sandra outlined her difficult marriage, his jealousy, temper tantrums, stalking, and eventual assault on her male friend that proved to be the beginning of the end.

"Mrs. Morrison, we understand how it ended, but how did it begin? When did your marriage turn sour?"

Never one to mince words Sandra came out with it. "The day we learned Raymond was shooting blanks and it was impossible for us to conceive."

There was a collective gasp in the gallery followed by laughter, including from the jury box. As murmurs became louder Judge Symanski used his gavel to regain order. Kat did not laugh, she was shocked.

'That son-of-a-bitch knew all along, He couldn't give me a baby. He fucking lied to me.'

In cross-examination, Russell had no angle but to ask Sandra if she turned to another man when she fell out of love with Raymond.

"Wasn't it you who killed the marriage and not Raymond's jealousy?"

"I definitely ended the marriage but it wasn't by cheating. I filed for divorce after he became violent."

******

At the conclusion of the day-two testimony, Scott Panzek was waiting for Kat outside the courtroom. He had attended day one, but not the second day. Kat's former colleagues at Kramer and Stein were taking shifts in the courtroom and reporting back to the office.

"Look, I have something to ask." He pulled Kat to a quiet corner away from the crowded corridor. "Is there any reason you can think of that would make Patrick Murphy interested in this trial?"

"The mayor's nephew? No. Why do you ask?"

"I saw him yesterday during recess. Then I watched him take a seat in the back of the courtroom. Marjorie said he was here today also."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Patrick Murphy graduated with Leo Spahn. They were close friends in high school."

Kat's eyes focused keenly on Scott. "Spahn and Patrick Murphy, the would-be next mayor?"

Scott lowered his voice as spectators passed by. "Think about it, Kat."

She shrugged. "Maybe he's interested in seeing his friend's killer get justice."

"Patrick Murphy is a fucking creep," Scott said too loud. "He was accused of rape at Temple University."

"But he graduated from Temple."

"Apparently, whatever happened on campus was taken care of. Then he went to law school at Penn because Uncle Charlie had connections there and pulled some strings."

Kat furrowed her brow. "Patrick Murphy doesn't have a law degree."

"Correct. He was kicked out of Penn. There are rumors that he has victims. Women have been paid for their silence, no charges, and no publicity."

Kat stared at Scott, putting the pieces of the puzzle he was presenting together. "Just spit it out, Scotty."

"We've discussed this before," Scott said. "Uncle Charlie has five daughters. His oldest nephew is like his son. Patrick was kicked out of Penn in the spring of 1955. He came home and went to work for Charlie. He was home that summer. What are the chances he was hanging out with his old high school pal, Leo Spahn, and Leo's cousin... Billy Barnes?"

"Why didn't we know this before?"

"Patrick and Leo are a few years older than us. I didn't know Patrick graduated with Spahn until yesterday. When Janice and I got back to the office we told Marjorie that Patrick was a spectator. Lena Martini was there, she was in Patrick and Leo's graduating class. She went off about what creeps they were."

Scott stared at Kat waiting for the light bulb to go off.

"You think Patrick may have been involved in the Dwyer kidnapping?"

Scott nodded. "I can't prove shit except a known creep and accused rapist was home that summer and his best pal from high school disappeared the day after one friend was killed and another arrested for the kidnapping."

"If Patrick was involved," Kat said. "It would explain Uncle Charlie quashing the investigation. How did we not know the mayor's nephew was a creep?"

Scott shrugged. "Because people are rightfully afraid to talk shit about the Murphys. What he did in college, the alleged rape and sexual assaults were kept under wraps. Murphy's political enemies leaked it years ago but no one in their right mind would go after Patrick publically. Charlie would destroy them."

Kat sighed. "I thought this Dwyer mess was over when Barnes' was killed."

"It is over Kat. You're not going after Patrick, because there's not a single surviving witness that can prove he's the reason the Dwyer investigation was squashed."

"There's Victor Fonseca sitting in prison."

"Even if he talked no one would believe it." Scott paused. "Patrick Murphy is running for a second term on city council this year. Mayor Murphy has big plans for his favorite nephew."

*****

On day three Kat spied Patrick Murphy seated alone in the back of the courtroom. If the mayor's nephew was somehow involved in the Dwyer kidnapping it would explain everything. She tried to keep her focus on the case at hand, her husband's murder trial.